(Progressive rock/Experimental) Psicotropia - Grog - 2005, FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

PSICOTROPIA means "mental place". The musical creations of Pablo Tato, Jaime Mariscal and Juan Llull from Madrid, Spain intend to take the listener to an ambient as intense as artistic by treating the music in a complex manner based in the mixture of both rhythmic and melodic modern arrangements like jazz scales, improvisation and the use of theater-like, ambiental, esthetical stage presentation.

Their music is unmarked in the frame of experimental progrock style receiving their most important influence from bands like KING CRIMSON, MUSE, RADIOHEAD, TOOL, Mr. BUNGLE, jazz and vanguard classical music. They take advantage of the metal and experimental sonority to create their own and personal style, reflected perfectly in their first album showing all of their different tunes.

Of the eight tracks that this CD is made up of, two are vocal-free pieces, almost all of the others being largely instrumental, in the concept's truest meaning. However it is the sole exception to that rule, the opening track Vy, which is the most profound composition here. While falling squarely into the framework of classic guitar-driven Prog-Metal (without using keyboards), the song contains so many different thematic storylines that I had to revisit it to realize that there are no repeats even on its vocal level. Of course the main criteria, which allow me to consider the piece to be a progressive rock killer, are its complex compositional construction, abundance in sudden transitions, odd meters and so on. Those acquainted with "A Social Grace" by Psychotic Waltz are already halfway to having the idea of what Vy is overall about, though Pablo Tato's singing, which is kind of laid-back from surrounding events, is more reminiscent of Fates Warning's Ray Alder than Buddy Lucky (AKA Devon Graves) in approach - as everywhere on the album. Since I've already called my favorite track, I must make the reservation that all the subsequent ones are only slightly inferior to it. Just like the opener, both of its follow-ups, Zas and Quasar, are filled with a grim, disturbing atmosphere and are heavy throughout, with not even a small island of calmness in their raging musical seas. What distinguishes these from Vy is the presence of slow, yet still ornate arrangements that may bring to mind Paradise Lost or Candlemass. In order not to repeat myself, I only note that the instrumental title track, which concludes the CD, would've been rated along with Vy if its first three introductory movements hadn't represented conventional Swing, Circus music and Rock-&-Roll respectively, and that the main reason I didn't mention the sixth track Pajaro up to now is that, unlike any of the others, it reminds me of Voivod - circa "The Outer Limits". That being said, the rest of the journey is almost equally interesting, although it is less adventurous, which is not because the remaining three creations are all performed without using any big guns, but is because the band rarely ventures on truly intricate movements there. The only two tracks with the participation of session musicians (see lineup above), Leuven and Nana Negra, are both almost as beautiful and expressive as the only chamber-like section in the sidelong epic Tangerine Windows of Solace from the second Sieges Even recording, "Steps", which however isn't due to the guests' efforts, though I can suppose they just weren't allowed to weave any complicated patterns. The remaining instrumental, Gineo Mundos, is guitar Art-Rock with some hints of King Crimson. Very interestingly designed, the piece has a somewhat blurry finale however, therefore leaving the impression of being a bit underdeveloped. Finally I think it should be mentioned that the King Crimson influence, which runs all through the trio's first album, appears almost exclusively in its latent form here, meaning it exists on most of the previously described tracks too, but is so well camouflaged there that only those having a listening experience of many years will recognize it.

Psicotropia is one of the most exciting bands to arise from the Spanish art-rock scene of our time. I own the Luna Negra's 2007 edition of "Grog", a double pack that comprises the CD itself plus a live DVD taken from a 2005 show in Madrid. The DVD shows the band exploring its rockiest side, as well as some occasional antics by bass player Jaime Mariscal. Let's check the CD itself. "Grog" is less expansive but more cohesive and focused than the band's very good debut effort "Psicotropia" - now we can tell that this power trio have reached their own musical maturity, and from now on, they will have to find their own way to evolve so their music can remain a very interesting item in conteporary prog. The material contained in "Grog" is concentratd upon the influences of contemporary King Crimson, Primus, Tool and the less classicist side of prog-metal, wrapped in a modern sound that is alternately inspired by the schemes of math-rock and the melancholy ambiences of post-rock. Now... let's check the repertoire. The first two tracks are notable examples of how to display energy and intelligent complexity with metallic-based riffs that alternate repetition and variation in a consistent manner. 'Vÿ' has enough ctachniess as to capture immediately the empathetic listener's attention: the ballsy drive created by the three instrumentalists is taken to a different level once the variations emerge along the way. 'Zas' has less lyrics (in English, by the way) and more instrumental developments, building a solid bridge betwwn prog metal and psychedelia. So far, we can res tassured that the band's energy is exploited on the convincingly powerful use of riffs and disturbing harmonies and not so much on pyrotechnics (not that these are not skillful musicians, because they obviously are): it seems as Psicotropia's main leit-motif is one of integral conjunction and not one of individual features. The intro motif of 'Quasar' is very Primus-esque, an undeniable fact, indeed, with the sung passage built on a blues tempo performed in an aura of hard rock. This highlight ends with a reprise of the opening motif. 'Leuven' is a semi- ballad that finds the band coming down to less expressionist realms, setting a melancholy mood of introspection in both music and lyrics. Psicotropia knows how to elaborate more simple rock structures without getting into the usual patterns of comercially accepted pop-rock. Pablo Tato's leads bear a very emotional essence, stuck right between two candid interludes. The use of a backup of strings helps this song to acquire some sort of artistic sophistication, not overwhelming, subtle but, in the end, easy to notice. After this introspective oasis, comes a new version of the instrumental 'Cinco Mundos': although loyal to the art-rock nature of the original version, this one brings a funky vibe that makes it sound less heavy. Bassist Jaime Mariscal assumes the leading role for this one in a very effective way. The sense of storm and fire that had been so solidly displayed in the first 3 tracks returns with a vengenace in 'Pájaro', another highlight of the album. The contrast between the most intrepid instrumental passages and the eerie moments is very well accomplished, which only comes to show how cleverly these guys are capable are of creating variety with three instruments and moderately complex compositions. The final moments are definitely a tribute to 73-75 era King Crimson, an obvious salutation to helpless fans of good old prog. 'Nana Negra' is a very beautiful ballad marked by the Spartan acoustic gutiar chords and the emotionally charged singing by Tato. The song's dramatic vein is conveniently enhanced by the string section textures that appear as a hermetic background, a detail that may remind the listener of the Sigur Ros prototype to a certain degree. The namesake instrumental closes down the album in a very exulting mood. This number mixes jazz, experimental metal and psychedelia with an added touch of humour: yet another example of thi band's devotion for Primus, metallic rock and KC. A very good wa yto end an excellent album. Psicotropia's "Grog" deserves this 4 star rating.

Exact Audio Copy V0.99 prebeta 4 from 23. January 2008

EAC extraction logfile from 13. January 2009, 21:35

PSICOTROPIA / GROG

Used drive : Optiarc DVD RW AD-7170A Adapter: 0 ID: 0

Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No

Read offset correction : 48
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Gap handling : Appended to previous track

Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 160 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : D:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Additional command line options : -8 -V -T "ARTIST=%a" -T "TITLE=%t" -T "ALBUM=%g" -T "DATE=%y" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%n" -T "GENRE=%m" -T "COMMENT=EAC FLAC -8" %s

TOC of the extracted CD

Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
---------------------------------------------------------
1 | 0:00.00 | 5:36.16 | 0 | 25215
2 | 5:36.16 | 6:41.56 | 25216 | 55346
3 | 12:17.72 | 6:07.43 | 55347 | 82914
4 | 18:25.40 | 7:58.49 | 82915 | 118813
5 | 26:24.14 | 2:06.62 | 118814 | 128325
6 | 28:31.01 | 5:36.54 | 128326 | 153579
7 | 34:07.55 | 5:56.71 | 153580 | 180350
8 | 40:04.51 | 6:43.67 | 180351 | 210642

Track 1

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Track 3

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Track 6

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Track 8

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